Vietnam free of MERS so far

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a regular press conference in Hanoi on June 11 where spokesperson Le Hai Binh briefed the media on issues surrounding the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and responded to questions of pubic concern.

Regarding the spread of the MERS in South Korea and what this means for Vietnamese citizens living in the country, Mr. Binh highlighted that the MERS outbreak is a concern for the international community as a whole and for Vietnamese nationals.

Local authorities have measures in place to fight the epidemic in the country’s border areas, including designing plans and issuing detailed MERS prevention and control guidelines to localities.

There have been no cases of Vietnamese citizens or foreigners in Vietnam having been in contact with the deadly virus but the country is maintaining a close watch on developments to take timely steps, Mr. Binh said.

The Foreign Ministry and appropriate Vietnamese agencies overseas have issued travel warnings for Vietnamese citizens planning to travel to or live in affected areas, including South Korea, and advised them to take all possible precautions.

Mr. Binh also told the media that the third meeting of the Vietnam-South Africa inter-governmental partnership forum will take place in Hanoi next week.